We spent an unseasonably warm September afternoon with Ben, touring his local haunts and shaking hands with the lovely locals that he calls friends. We caught up over the counter at Skehans in Peckham to discuss some crucial questions:
What's your perfect formula for a solo dinner?
I love my rice cooker, I use it so often and it's a sure thing if I'm cooking for one. I steam sushi rice, always more than I need as it makes killer leftovers, and I pair it with a simply cooked piece of meat or fish—I like a crispy chicken thigh or a piece of trout.
I'll cook it on the stove, usually in my little stainless steel All-Clad frying pan, with olive oil and salt. While it roasts, I put together a quick salad from what's in the fridge: something pickled, some greens, something fresh, and then mix up a simple sauce. Maybe something miso-forward, or I'll use the pot of fermented chillies and garlic I have going. It's always so simple, but balanced and super tasty.
Scrap club card prices, what's your ultimate meal deal?
This is SO hard. I'll take the lamb main course at Wildflowers I had recently, an incredible plate of cooking, pin-sharp and just delicious. I'll have that with a side of the Namayasai salad from Koya, a tangle of spicy greens with a light, zippy sesame dressing. And I'll have a pint of estrella galicia on the side, thanks!!!
Top 5 condiments in your household?
1. Hot honey is number one, obviously, and I always eat it with cheese on toast or a slice of pep pizza.
2. I make a pear and prune brown sauce that I adore, it's sweet and savoury and goes with anything north of 11am. Breakfast is way better with this sauce.
3. Some kind of seaweed sprinkle for my rice is super nice, you can buy really great blends these days, togarashi with seaweed and sesame, so tasty.
4. Espellette Pepper is a staple in our house. It's like a fancy chilli powder, really, I dash it on all sorts. Not too spicy, really fruity and very pretty.
5. Dijon Mustard, whisked into a dressing or slathered onto a sandwich, you can't really beat it.
Further consumption...
My new favourite podcast is called "Please Don't", hosted by Raven Smith and Joel Golby. Great cultural takes, funny guys, a good hang. I just read an amazing book by Laurie Lee called "as I walked out one midsummer morning", an amazing account of a young guy traveling through civil war-torn spain, incredible.
You can shop Ben's Edit Now.